Authors

Discussion

The genomes of parasitic flatworms are occupied to a great extent by transposable elements. These mobile genetic entities have the capacity to replicate and/or move from one location to another in the genome. During this process, some of these transposable elements multiply in number and if left unchecked, they can cause significant and dramatic changes to the genomes they parasitise. Hence, an arms race between transposable elements and the host genome evolves. In this talk I will present data illustrating our current understanding of the diversity and genomic ecology of transposable elements in two trematodes, Schistosoma mansoni and Fasciola hepatica. Despite their close phylogenetic relationship, their transposable element complement is diverse, presenting an opportunity for the comparative study of their contribution to the host’s genome architecture and function.